Diesel heater for tent

[Wyo_Roadhunter]

Don't make to much fun of me for this, I'd rather know if it's gonna work at my house and not in the middle of nowhere Arizona this fall on dad's elk hunt haha. But anyways has anyone ran these diesel heaters in their tents and have any tips or tricks (this is a 10x14 kodiak)? According to the weather tonight we are supposed to get to 20 or a little less. Thought if I can stay warm in there in those Temps Arizona shouldn't be a issue haha. I plan on getting a set of solar panels to charge my power bank while we are out hunting during the day.

 

[LIK2HNT]

Looks great, keep us posted.
I have been thinking about doing something similar. Just research sizes, battery, and solar charger for batteries, etc. Also some kind of generator cover/tent. Ones I was looking at could not be left out in the rain and snow.

 

[Wyo_Roadhunter]

Looks great, keep us posted.
I have been thinking about doing something similar. Just research sizes, battery, and solar charger for batteries, etc. Also some kind of generator cover/tent. Ones I was looking at could not be left out in the rain and snow.

I think I'll probably build a box to cover it that has carpet inside to help deaden the noise. The pump isn't to loud but I'm sure the ticking could annoy some people

 

[SS!]

Don't make to much fun of me for this, I'd rather know if it's gonna work at my house and not in the middle of nowhere Arizona this fall on dad's elk hunt haha. But anyways has anyone ran these diesel heaters in their tents and have any tips or tricks (this is a 10x14 kodiak)? According to the weather tonight we are supposed to get to 20 or a little less. Thought if I can stay warm in there in those Temps Arizona shouldn't be a issue haha. I plan on getting a set of solar panels to charge my power bank while we are out hunting during the day.

View attachment 139476

 

[Wyo_Roadhunter]

You can do it I won't take it to heart .

 

[Wyo_Roadhunter]

Ps the last arizona elk hunt I was on we was -6 at night or I wouldn't even think about using a heater there

 

[JPickett]

That’s not a very big tent. They make 12’ hoses to hook up the buddie heaters to a 5 gallon propane tank. Won’t need power with that. Just a thought

 

[grizzly]

That’s not a very big tent. They make 12’ hoses to hook up the buddie heaters to a 5 gallon propane tank. Won’t need power with that. Just a thought

Those make carbon monoxide. Diesel heaters have heat exchangers so the fumes aren't inside the tent with you.

I'd never sleep in a tent with a Mr Buddy, even the ones with CO sensors on them, IMO.

PS. There are some silent fuel pumps out there to avoid the ticking, too

 

[Wyo_Roadhunter]

Those make carbon monoxide. Diesel heaters have heat exchangers so the fumes aren't inside the tent with you.

I'd never sleep in a tent with a Mr Buddy, even the ones with CO sensors on them, IMO.

PS. There are some silent fuel pumps out there to avoid the ticking, too

In it now, its 27 degrees outside and it's 50 degrees in here with the heater on low. I'm the same way with the propane heaters have always been nervous about the carbon monoxide.

 

[JPickett]

Those make carbon monoxide. Diesel heaters have heat exchangers so the fumes aren't inside the tent with you.

I'd never sleep in a tent with a Mr Buddy, even the ones with CO sensors on them, IMO.

PS. There are some silent fuel pumps out there to avoid the ticking, too

They make a tent safe one. Ones out in my garage right now. Spent many a night in the tent with it

 

[2lumpy]

Anytime I use a flame inside, I not only worry about the carbon monoxide but I worry about burning all the oxygen out of the air as well. I’d make sure I had some fresh air intake too. If the canvas will hold out water, will it hold out air too. The Kodiak has a rubberized floor.

Just a suggestion, for what it’s worth.

 

[SS!]

Those make carbon monoxide. Diesel heaters have heat exchangers so the fumes aren't inside the tent with you.

I'd never sleep in a tent with a Mr Buddy, even the ones with CO sensors on them, IMO.

PS. There are some silent fuel pumps out there to avoid the ticking, too

I agree with grizzly. The Mr buddy heaters scare the **** out of me and I would never go to sleep with one running in the tent.

I recommend good sleeping bags and shutting off any heat before bed. You would be surprised in a tent setup like yours how much heat a Coleman lantern puts off. Have it on before bed and then turn it on in the morning. Of course a lantern puts off carbon monoxide too, but no harm using it before bed and when you get up. You’re elk hunting so you should be getting up well before light anyhow. Have it in a position to light so you don’t have to get out of your bag. In those tents we hang them from the center to just a few feet off the ground with some p cord.

 

[grizzly]

They make a tent safe one. Ones out in my garage right now. Spent many a night in the tent with it

It's only as safe as the sensors. No way I'm sleeping with one running.

I'm with SS, I keep it nearby and turn it on before I crawl out of the bag in the morning. It takes the chill out of the air quickly.

I've been looking at the diesel heaters though. I think those could be awesome, just trying to decide the right setup.

 

[JPickett]

Your guys tents must be hyperbolic chambers. All the ones I own have some sort of ventilation. I don’t run one all night but only because I think it’s a waste of fuel. But I’ll run it while I’m laying in there reading or whatever before going to sleep. Sometimes hours at s time. To my knowledge I haven’t died yet

 

[SS!]

Your guys tents must be hyperbolic chambers. All the ones I own have some sort of ventilation. I don’t run one all night but only because I think it’s a waste of fuel. But I’ll run it while I’m laying in there reading or whatever before going to sleep. Sometimes hours at s time. To my knowledge I haven’t died yet

all irrelevant as it’s something that can, has, and will happen again to people using heaters and stoves in tents. Take a few mins and google it.

 

[Wyo_Roadhunter]

Well it worked pretty good last night. Everything is in Celsius since it's a cheap Amazon Chinese heater so I run all the settings on Hz. It was 27 degrees in the tent when I came out and after an hour with the heater on 2 Hz it was up to 48 in the tent. When I woke up it was 42 in the tent and 17 outside. I turned the heater up to 4 hz and it's 51 in here in 5 minutes. The heater goes from 1.7 hz up to 5.3 hz. So if you had a bigger power supply you could run it at max all night and be way warm. I think the cheap Amazon power supply I have would run it at 4 hz all night and have no issues. It only used maybe 1/3 of a gallon of diesel too so thats nice. In the time I've written this the inside of the tent is up to 56 now.

 

[JPickett]

Take a few mins and google it.

I’ll get on that right after I finish all the google results for global warming. I need one more thing the internet tells me I should be scared of. Thank you

 

[SS!]

Well it worked pretty good last night. Everything is in Celsius since it's a cheap Amazon Chinese heater so I run all the settings on Hz. It was 27 degrees in the tent when I came out and after an hour with the heater on 2 Hz it was up to 48 in the tent. When I woke up it was 42 in the tent and 17 outside. I turned the heater up to 4 hz and it's 51 in here in 5 minutes. The heater goes from 1.7 hz up to 5.3 hz. So if you had a bigger power supply you could run it at max all night and be way warm. I think the cheap Amazon power supply I have would run it at 4 hz all night and have no issues. It only used maybe 1/3 of a gallon of diesel too so thats nice. In the time I've written this the inside of the tent is up to 56 now.

Did you run it last night off of your power supply or shore power? Power supply efficiency goes down drastically in cold temps as you likely know.

One thing for sure is a Chinese heater and all the other gadgets could add to one hell of a hunting story

I’m leaving for a trip in two weeks where the temps will average -30. Similar tent setup too. Getting excited!

 

[grizzly]

Did you run it last night off of your power supply or shore power? Power supply efficiency goes down drastically in cold temps as you likely know

I'm also interested in this.

I always figured I could keep the battery in the tent so the heater would keep itself running. The new LiFePO4 batteries deliver full voltage until their shut-off temp, which varies, and the costs are getting much better through places like Vatrer & EG4.

I've kind of been looking at diesel heaters for a year or so, just haven't narrowed down the best way to do it.

I've heard some people prefer kerosene too, and some heaters will burn both

 

[Wyo_Roadhunter]

Did you run it last night off of your power supply or shore power? Power supply efficiency goes down drastically in cold temps as you likely know.

One thing for sure is a Chinese heater and all the other gadgets could add to one hell of a hunting story

I’m leaving for a trip in two weeks where the temps will average -30. Similar tent setup too. Getting excited!

Awesome good luck! And yeah hopefully half way through the hunts it doesn't burn up .

I did run it off my power supply. This morning it was at 34% and I shut the heater down at 12 hours of run time. I ran the wiring into the tent from the heater and kept the power supply in it to hopefully help with the cold efficiency loss. The power supply I have is only 266 wh. They make one that is 892 wh that is $300.00 I'll probably get.

 

[Wyo_Roadhunter]

I'm also interested in this.

I always figured I could keep the battery in the tent so the heater would keep itself running. The new LiFePO4 batteries deliver full voltage until their shut-off temp, which varies, and the costs are getting much better through places like Vatrer & EG4.

I've kind of been looking at diesel heaters for a year or so, just haven't narrowed down the best way to do it.

I've heard some people prefer kerosene too, and some heaters will burn both

This is the power supply I have I like it because the display tells me how much power the heater is pulling and how much the power bank has of run time left in hours. I just run diesel in mine. Really once it starts up there is no diesel exhaust smell. Also the wiring I got for my heater has about 10 feet of cord and has the cigarette lighter end on it.

 

[grizzly]

This is the power supply I have I like it because the display tells me how much power the heater is pulling and how much the power bank has of run time left in hours. I just run diesel in mine. Really once it starts up there is no diesel exhaust smell. Also the wiring I got for my heater has about 10 feet of cord and has the cigarette lighter end on it.

View attachment 139523

If you can run 12 hours on <200Wh, that's fantastic. I had no idea what to expect for power draw and would've gone way overboard so that's very helpful. Thanks

 

[Wyo_Roadhunter]

If you can run 12 hours on <200Wh, that's fantastic. I had no idea what to expect for power draw and would've gone way overboard so that's very helpful. Thanks

At 5 hz it wouldn't probably quite make the 12 hrs. it pulls between 8-11 W on 2hz so it doesn't use much.

 

[SS!]

Great thread! Thanks for sharing the intel on the power supply. Pretty impressive results.


Normally on my hunts I go UL but on our spring bear hunts we roll in heavy. Check out this setup we use on our spring bear hunts. The charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter regulates the voltage/amperage to prevent damage to devices. Whole setup costs less than $100. And its multipurpose. Always want to pack gear that has more than one use when you have to fit it all in a super cub

 

[Wyo_Roadhunter]

Great thread! Thanks for sharing the intel on the power supply. Pretty impressive results.


Normally on my hunts I go UL but on our spring bear hunts we roll in heavy. Check out this setup we use on our spring bear hunts. The charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter regulates the voltage/amperage to prevent damage to devices. Whole setup costs less than $100. And its multipurpose. Always want to pack gear that has more than one use when you have to fit it all in a super cub

View attachment 139527

Thats how we are to but the hunt dad drew there's a million roads so we are going for luxury . That looks like it would work good!

 

[Wyo_Roadhunter]

Off subject of the diesel heater but has anyone used one of these pellet stoves in their wall tents. They have extended hoppers also so you can add basically double the pellets.

 

[Bookhead]

I have the same tent i use a propane heater in mine works good there's vents in the top corners on both sides so it's pretty safe can buy a sensor too if you're worried about it

 

[2lumpy]

I have the same tent i use a propane heater in mine works good there's vents in the top corners on both sides so it's pretty safe can buy a sensor too if you're worried about it

A good….. simple sensor is a great idea. They should come attached to every indoor heater, so stupid people, like me, would always have one available.

 

[grizzly]

The problem with the sensor idea is carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin in your blood 300 times stronger than oxygen so it builds up over time. Even if the oxygen levels stay relatively high, your body's ability to extract oxygen from the air lessens over time.

That's the purpose of hyperbaric treatment, to force the CO out of your blood so oxygen can be utilized.

 

[Wyo_Roadhunter]

Alright last post I'll do on this little heater for now until I get my solar panels. I probably will get a little bigger power supply than the one I have. When starting the heater it usually trips once because of low power, I unplug it plug it back in and start it again and then don't have any issues. I did check the watts it uses when running. Low temp = 1.7 hz and high = 5.4 hz.

1.7 hz = 8 watts and 27+ hrs of continues run time.
2.5 hz = 11 watts and 21+ hrs of run time
3.4 hz = 16 watts and 15+ hrs of run time
4.5 hz = 22 watts and 10+ hrs of run time
5.4 hz = 34 watts and 8+ hrs of run time

All of these are with the little 266wh/72800mAh power station.

I think this will be a pretty sweet setup if your just road camping. I know propane works good to but just having the peace of mind not worrying about carbon monoxide is really nice.

The heater is a silvel 8kw

 

[105Coues]

Interesting thread for sure. Sometimes weather in AZ is decent for tent camping, Sometimes absolute ****. Like this morning.

 

[atrietch]

I have been thinking about building a similar system, thanks for sharing. Great thread!

 

[Wyo_Roadhunter]

This is a good video on explaining building your own power station. I'll probably build one just because I'm bored and like messing with this kind of stuff haha. I did end up buying a small 800 WH power station to use.

 

[2lumpy]

This is a good video on explaining building your own power station. I'll probably build one just because I'm bored and like messing with this kind of stuff haha. I did end up buying a small 800 WH power station to use.

I enjoyed that. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Joe2Kool]

Can you share a picture of the diesel heater in this thread? It sounds different from the one we used in CO last year. It was an old thing that supposedly could burn diesel, propane, kerosene and maybe even wood or corn whiskey as well. Anyway, it seemed to burn a lot of fuel, leaked, and was hard to control. Other than that, it worked fine!

 

[Wyo_Roadhunter]

Can you share a picture of the diesel heater in this thread? It sounds different from the one we used in CO last year. It was an old thing that supposedly could burn diesel, propane, kerosene and maybe even wood or corn whiskey as well. Anyway, it seemed to burn a lot of fuel, leaked, and was hard to control. Other than that, it worked fine!

This is the one i have

 

[Joe2Kool]

That is definitely more modern than the one we used!

 

[Wyo_Roadhunter]

Got the new power station. This one is 768 WH. I also got 2 120w solar panels with it. Initial charge I used a wall charger to get it from 59% to 100% which was only about 45 minutes. I ran it with the diesel heater for almost 5 hours last night until it got down to 80%. This morning the sun was good so I set up the panels and charged it up which only took around 30 minutes. The panels were actually doing better than they are supposed to and was doing 270 watts.

The heater I was able to get into the settings and adjust how much fuel it was using and for the elevation here I dropped it quite a bit and am still getting the same heat using probably 1/4 less fuel as when it was at factory settings. You can also change the fan speed but for what I'm using it for the factory speeds should be fine. I also checked with a heat gun and the heat coming out of the tube is around 250°. In the close up of the power station that is the heater running on high which looks like I'll get around 21 hours of run time. I can't remember but on low it was like 70 something hours.

Now I have to figure out how to keep all this crap from getting stolen when we are out hunting.

 

[liecabucks]

Post a visible trail cam at your camp and then also hide one. If you have service then use a cell cam. People don’t like their pic taken